Safety-rein fob bridles



UNITED STATES 'PATENT' OFFICE.

R. A. NATHURST AND J. L. STEVART, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

SAFETY-REIN FOR BRIDLES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,135, dated August 16, 1859.

Tol all whom t may concern Be it known that we, RUDOLPH A. NAT- HURST and JOHN L. STEWART, both of Nashville, in the county of Davidson, in the State of Tennessee, have invented a new and highly useful Improvement which we call a Safety-Rein, being an attachment to t-he bridle or halter of a horse or of any similarly geared animals, and which application will give the driver a complete control over his beast, particularly in stopping a frightened or starting a balky animal; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

To enable others to understand, construct and make use of our invention we will proceed to describe its nature construction and operation.

The nat-ure of our invention and its peculiarity consist in the providing of an extra strop, lettered A on the accompanying drawings, which connects with the common driving-rein C and Cf', at a convenient dis'- tance from the animals head, and after passing through a ring (R), a loop o-r pulley may be substituted, it passes under the animals neck, either in form of a plain, flat or round strop or widened and stuffed into a pad, as shown and lettered P on the drawing, and continues exactly alike on the other side, passing up through another ring (like R) and connects there with the other line of the driving-rein. These rings, (of which R represents one) are held up by the broad strop F across the back of the animals neck, as illustrated by the drawing, and it is almost needless to state that these drawings represent a part of a horse, viz: Head, neck and shoulder, with a bridle and safety-rein attached. And as one side completely shows how the other does look, we have deemed it useless to furnish but one representation, hoping that it will be so considered by all whom it .may concern.

The strop A has a buckle by which its length can be properly regulated.

The punctuation on the drawings marked d is intended to-show the mode in which the above named rings should be secured to the bridle when made in one with it. The

buckle-strops (S) secures these same rings to the bridle and prevent the sliding back of the noose formed by the strops F and A and the rings, which also -can be permanently afixed alike on both sides of the animals head.

The section or sections of the common driving-reins reaching from the bridle or halter (as the case may be) and to the conjunction of the strop A and is marked Cc have on each side an elastic section (c) made of a spiral-spring, gutta percha, india rubber or any other suitable substance. But to make the action and effect of our safetyrein easily understood, we will go into a still more explanatory description of our invention and its use. Suppose, therefore, that we wish to turn our horse to the right and for that purpose pull at the right hand line of the reins-it will be evident that its action on the bit is just the same as usual, because the strop A pulls through the ring (R), upwards on the right side and downwards on the left side, thereby obviating any choking or action on t-he throat. The same thing takes place in an opposite way when the left hand line of the reins are pulled. Again, if both the right and left lines of the reins are drawn in simultaneous, the effect will also, if the pull is gentle or slight, be the usual drawing in of the bit, but if this has not the desired effect of checking the horse and a harder pull is resorted to, the animals head will be drawn in toward the chest, the elastic sections will elongate and the main force of the pull will consequently take effect on the chocking-attachment, that is: the strop A will run upwards through the rings on each side and press forcibly on the wind-pipe and thus by taking the animals breath away, it is most certain to bring it to a sudden standstill-because no animal whose breath vis taken away can run but a few steps. The reins are no sooner let loose or eased' before this effect ceases, and the animal is never hurt by this as by many of the cruel bits that are in use to this day. Again, when a horse or other animal in reins, has the bad habit of balking, a quick and strong pull with the described sudden choking action, confuses and startle the horse and thereby makes him run forwards which is the object, and after a few times applications, will invariably cure it from this most annoying and dangerous habit.

Our belief is, that horses and other animals broke to work or riding with this safety-rein from the beginning, will be rode or drove more safely even Without the use of the bit, than noW is the oase, or in the usual Way with any kind of a bit. And We think that When this safety rein is fully introduced the bit Will if not entirely go out of use, it Will at least only exist in its Inost innocent form.

We do not claim a mere choking-strop With its separate reins, for this We understand has been used before, neither do We claim a connection of choke-pads over the horses nostrils with the bit, as patented by William l). Titus & Co 1855, but

We claim The connection of the choke-strop With 15 temporary or permanently affixed to the 20 bridle or halter, Whether a bit is used or not.

RUDOLPH A. NATHURST. JOHN L. STEWART. Vitnesses:

S. CHANDLER, O. H. MCCARVER. 

